A total of 154 asylum applications were lodged in Iceland from January 1st through August 31st in 2015. That is a 66% increase from 2014 when a 93 people applied in the first eight months of the year. It therefore seems that 2015 will be a record year in terms of asylum applications. In August this year, 49 people applied for asylum in Iceland. To put this in perspective, the same number of people applied in total during the three preceding months and in all of 2009 a total of 35 people applied.

Applicants come from a total of 32 states and one person is stateless. Albanians are the largest nationality, totalling at 51 applications or a third of all the applications. In light of the civil war in Syria it comes as no surprise that Syrians are the second largest nationality among the applicants. Eighteen Syrians have applied for asylum which amounts to 12% of all applications.

Immigrants in Iceland should be able to seek information about their rights and obligations at their local social services and municipal offices. However when specialised information is needed it may be necessary to seek advice and information from professionals specialising in immigration issues. Here is a list of available services in Reykjavik and around Iceland.

Services for Immigrants Living in Iceland-These services are available for all residents of Iceland.

The Icelandic Human Rights Office- Provides free legal counselling for immigrants living in Iceland. By appointment only. Tuesdays from 14-20 and Fridays from 9-15. To make an appointment send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or phone 552-2720. Interpreters are provided free of charge.

Multicultural Centre/Fjölmenningarsetur-The Multicultural Centre has the fundamental role of facilitating communications between individuals of different backgrounds, and to enhance the services provided to foreign citizens residing in Iceland and to those interested in moving to Iceland.

Multicultural Centre offers assistance to those seeking information about daily life in Iceland, gives information about the administration and is of service to foreign citizens moving to or from Iceland.

The Multicultural Centre offers assistance and counsel through phone in Icelandic, English, Polish, Serbian/Croatian, Thai, Spanish, Lithuanian and Russian (see phone numbers on the homepage of the website). All communications with Multicultural Centre's personnel are bound by confidentiality obligations. In addition, it is always possible to seek information and assistance by using the ‘Contact Us' link on the homepage of the Website. The centre is located in Ísafjörður but immigrants who do not live in Reykjavik are encouraged to use the special phone services listed on their webpage. http://www.mcc.is/english/

Akureyri Intercultural Centre/Alþjóðastofa- Provides information and advice regarding: education, social services, taxation, insurance, health services, courses in Icelandic, residence and employment permits as well as numerous other issues. Interpretation service: interpreters and translators for people and organizations. Located in Akureyri, Geislagata 9. To contact them phone 460 1095 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
. http://www.astofan.akureyri.is/en

In relation to news that an asylum seeker threatened to set himself on fire outside the Icelandic Red Cross headquarters earlier today, the Directorate of Immigration wishes to make the following statement.

The man has been granted asylum and refugee status in another European country. He arrived and applied for asylum in Iceland in March this year. The Icelandic Red Cross represents the man. The processing of the man’s application has been delayed past the intended 90 days procedure due to his mental health and difficulties arising from his condition.

Threats of self-harm do not affect the decision process or its conclusion. The application is being processed and the Directorate aims to bring it to a conclusion as soon as possible, the same as other cases before the Directorate.

When asylum seekers harm themselves or behave in a self-harming manner the Directorate seeks to ensure them the appropriate assistance and counselling with the welfare authorities, the Icelandic Red Cross, psychologists, medical doctors and the applicant‘s legal representative, when applicable. Every effort is made to provide help and assistance in accordance with the wishes of the person in question.

In relation to recent news of an HIV-positive asylum seeker that may have infected people in Iceland with the virus, the Directorate of Immigration would like to make the following statement.

The incident is unique and it is very rare that asylum seekers that come to Iceland have serious infectious diseases.

All asylum seekers that come to Iceland are called up for a general health examination at a health clinic which includes blood tests and a tuberculosis check.

The Directorate has co-operated with the Icelandic health authorities and the police on the issue but it is not directly involved in the handling of the case. The Directorate made a decision on the asylum seeker‘s application in March this year and is now before the Immigration Appeals Board.

A total of 17 people were granted asylum by the Icelandic Directorate of Immigration during the first quarter of 2015. Similar to previous years the people granted asylum have been from all over the world but the respective situations in Eritrea and Ukraine affect the statistics with almost half of applicants granted asylum coming from these two countries. Additionally, the Directorate issued residence permits for 15 resettlement refugees.

The approval rate of asylum application was relatively low in the first quarter, with about one-third of all applications processed on the merit being approved. That makes for about 20% of the total number of all applications. In part this is due to a significant number of applications from citizens of the Balkan-states, where there is no armed conflict and people generally do not need to fear persecution or inhumane treatment. A total of 18 decisions were made regarding applications from citizens from Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. Moreover, two citizens of Switzerland were denied asylum and their applications deemed manifestly unfounded.

Decisions were made on eight applications from people who had already been granted asylum or other international protection in a safe European coubtry. They are to return to the country where they have been afforded protection. A total of 20 application were processed according to the Dublin Regulation.

No residence permits on humanitarian grounds were granted in connection with asylum applications during the first quarter but this type of permit has been relatively uncommon in the past few years. However, ten such permits were issued without an asylum application being lodged. This includes permits for relatives of people with such permits.